Odd Man Rush: Backup netminders grabbing headlines in short season

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Ottawa Senators held their collective
breath on Thursday night when star goaltender Craig Anderson left a shootout
victory over the New York Rangers early due to a sprained ankle.

Anderson has been phenomenal this season, leading the league with a 1.49 goals
against average and .952 save percentage. More importantly, he has kept the
Senators in the playoff picture despite the long-term losses of winger Jason
Spezza and reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson to injury.

But the netminder had to exit the game 1:43 into the third period when Rangers
forward Chris Kreider was upended while charging to the net before sliding
into Anderson. Ottawa's starting goaltender had stopped all 21 shots faced
before leaving and New York tagged Sens backup netminder Ben Bishop for two
goals to force overtime.

"You can tell it demoralized us a little bit initially," said Ottawa
defenseman Marc Methot. "He's been basically the heart and soul of our team,
or at least a large part of it. It's unfortunate, but it's the luck we're
getting right now as a team. The good news is he's day-to-day and he'll
hopefully be back within the near future."

Anderson tried to alleviate fears of his injury on Twitter after the game,
saying his ankle is going to be OK and the he would "be back ASAP." But the
Sens still recalled goaltender Robin Lehner from the minors on Friday.

Lehner served as Anderson's backup for the first two games this season before
being sent to the minors and it will now be up to him and Bishop to hold down
the pipes until Anderson is ready to return.

They won't be the first goaltenders to have to step into prime action this
season and the duo hope to join a handful of reserve netminders who have had
success already this season.

One of the bigger surprises this season has been the play of 30-year-old
Anaheim Ducks rookie Viktor Fasth, who has won each of his first eight NHL
decisions while posting a 1.78 GAA and .933 save percentage.

It was a long road to the NHL for Fasth, who excelled in the Swedish Elite
League, winning consecutive goaltender of the year awards in the league, and
guiding Team Sweden in the 2012 IIHF World Championships, before he signed as a
free agent with the Ducks.

Fasth's play kept Anaheim atop the Pacific Division while No. 1 goaltender
Jonas Hiller sat out four straight games due to a lower body injury before
getting the start in a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.

Two days later, the Ducks awarded Fasth with a two-year contract extension,
though he still seemed to accept his reserve role despite the recent success.

"No, I don't," he said when asked if he considered himself a starter. "Jonas
played the last game against Columbus here and played incredibly well. I just
try and work hard, and I will play when the coach tells me to play. That's how
things work."

It has worked when Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau has turned to the Swede, who is
just the third player in NHL history to win at least the first eight decisions
of his career. Ray Emery holds the record, going 9-0-0 from 2003-05 while with
the Ottawa Senators.

Speaking of Emery, he has continued to revive his career following a hip
injury that threatened to end it.

Emery was once Ottawa's goaltender of the future, leading the franchise to the
Stanley Cup Finals in 2007 before a number of incidents on and off the ice led
to his contract being bought out by the club. He spent a season playing in
Russia before signing with the Philadelphia Flyers, appearing in 29 games in
2009-10 before eventually undergoing hip surgery.

However, the 30-year-old made a successful 10-game return with the Ducks in
2010-11, then won the backup job in Chicago the following season.

Emery has gotten a nice chunk of work this season, making three straight
starts ahead of another scheduled start against the San Jose Sharks on Friday
night, when the Blackhawks try to set an NHL record by extending their season-
opening point streak to 17 games.

Starter Corey Crawford has been out with an upper-body injury but is close to
returning after practicing on Thursday. Still, Emery has given Chicago coach
Joel Quenneville something to think about when he picks his starter each game
by winning each of his first six games this season with a 2.27 GAA and .925
save percentage.

"It was difficult, the injury I had and the rehabilitation, but I took that
one step at a time," Emery said after a win over the Vancouver Canucks on
Tuesday. "Hockey is a game and I'm fortunate to play it, but I just took it as
kind of a challenge to come back. Now that I'm getting a chance to play I
appreciate it."

That's the same thought process that St. Louis Blues netminder Jake Allen
seemed to be taking over his recent stretch of starts.

The Blues won the William Jennings Trophy last season for having the fewest
goals against thanks to the duo of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott.

Halak, though, suffered a groin injury on Feb. 1 and missed eight games in a
row. St. Louis figured to be fine in net during his absence thanks to the
presence of Elliott, but the goaltender has struggled to a 3-5-1 mark, 3.57
GAA and .849 save percentage in nine games this season.

In fact, Elliott has not appeared in St. Louis' last five games as Allen
seized the opportunity for playing time, winning his first NHL three starts
prior to a loss to the Sharks on Tuesday.

"This is what I've wanted since I turned pro, to get a chance here," said
the 22-year-old rookie after the San Jose game. "I feel that I've played well
in my four games here. I wouldn't change anything at all. It's just another
learning experience for me. I'm not trying to get too high or too low, just
trying to make the most of my opportunity."

With Halak returning to action the following night in a 1-0 overtime setback
to the Colorado Avalanche, Allen was reassigned to the AHL on Thursday despite
going 3-1-0 with a 2.62 GAA and .895 save percentage.

It was of no fault of Allen's, who has an entry-level contract, while Elliott
would have had to go through waivers to be assigned to the minors.

But Allen has caught the eye of the Blues' staff and even if he doesn't make
another NHL appearance this season, he may still have the save of the year.

Allen's last win came against Vancouver on Sunday opposite the Canucks'
Roberto Luongo, who figured to be traded this offseason before getting a
chance to play due to the early season struggles of Cory Schneider.

Though Schneider has righted the ship as of late, Luongo has yet to lose in
regulation, going 4-0-3 with a shutout and solid 1.63 GAA this season. He won
four straight appearances from Jan. 30-Feb. 12 while allowing more than two
goals in just one of his eight games.

Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault has called his decision on which netminder
to start a coin flip and Luongo appears likely to stick with the club for at
least the rest of this season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one team that could bid for Luongo's services,
tough they have had their own breakout backup in Ben Scrivens, an undrafted
26-year-old.

Scrivens' numbers are solid, 5-4-0 with a 2.10 GAA and .931 save percentage,
and he made headlines by posting back-to-back shutouts -- the first of his
career -- on Feb. 16 and 18.

He has started five straight games with No. 1 James Reimer out with a knee
injury, going 3-2-0 while helping Toronto stay within two points of first
place in the Northeast Division.